Florida Cabinet members alarmed by state park development plan

Image via Visit Florida.

Florida Cabinet members are voicing alarm at a reported plan to allow lodging and golf courses to be built in state parks.

“Public lands should be enjoyed and protected,” said Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson. “We have to be really careful when we talk about building infrastructure in state parks.”

Simpson expressed concern after a report by the Tampa Bay Times revealed that the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) had plans to construct more lodges, pickleball courts and other amenities in at least nine parks around Florida. Agency officials told the newspaper the plans were part of an initiative to support Florida’s “outdoor recreation economy.”

Simpson said media reports were the first he heard of the plan, and that he had “serious concerns” about the effort.

He’s not alone. Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis called the proposal a “slippery slope.”

“The current state parks have established designation, design, followings for their theme or characteristics,” Patronis said.

A public calendar shows the Division of Recreation and Parks will hold public meetings on changes to its management plan.

Conceptual land use maps and meeting location details have been noticed by DEP regarding the plans for nine state parks: Hillsborough River State Park; Honeymoon Island State Park; Oleta River State Park; Jonathan Dickinson State Park; Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park; Anastasia State Park; Camp Helen State Park; Topsail Hill Preserve State Park; and Grayton Beach State Park.

All meetings are scheduled on Aug. 27 at 3 p.m., with each one scheduled for an hour.

At each meeting, an amendment to the park’s use management plan will be considered.

For example, a plan for Honeymoon Island in Dunedin will consider locations to construct four pickleball courts. Right now, the state markets that park as an “escape from the bustle of city life” and a “birdwatcher’s paradise.”

A plan for Topsail Hill Preserve State Park is more dramatic and includes dedicated large portions of the Santa Rosa park for disc golf courses and a 350-room lodge. That could require redesigning a campground and existing cabin area with more infrastructure.

Among the more dramatic plans is for Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Martin County. The plans there call for 18-hole golf courses, which would require the elimination of a currently unused Hobe Mountain boardwalk and observation tower and the relocation of park offices, residences and training facilities in the park now.  The state right now promotes the park as 10,000 acres with 16 different natural communities and a series of hiking trails.

The plans are all part of a Great Outdoors Initiative unveiled last week to “expand public access, increase outdoor activities and provide new lodging options across Florida’s state parks—reinforcing the state’s dedication to conservation, the outdoor recreation economy and a high quality of life for Floridians.”

A press release announcing the plans notes the state under Gov. Ron DeSantis has purchased some 260,000 acres of conservation land, most of that part of the Florida Wildlife Corridor.

“Today’s announcement reinforces the DeSantis Administration’s record support for conserving our natural landscapes and commitment to ensuring every Floridian can visit and recreate at Florida’s state parks,” the release said. It also announced 50% discounts for annual passes to state parks for residents.

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Florida Politics publisher Peter Schorsch contributed to this report.